The use of online services, such as online banking, online shopping, online subscription-based services (e.g., media services, news services, and the like), etc., has become commonplace. To determine whether to grant access to users and/or devices, today's online services independently decide what type of authentication to employ, which is usually based on usernames and passwords. Such a piecemeal, independent approach to authentication can cause confusion for the end user, who may be required to remember a multitude of information to access a wide range of services. To simplify their online experience, some users reduce the amount of information to be remembered by using the same usernames and passwords across services, as well as by using simple passwords that can be hacked relatively easily. However, such user behavior can reduce the reliability and security of the authentication techniques currently employed by the online services.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts, elements, etc.